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Help in Choosing a New Bike - Dominar Vs CBR250R and suggestions.

Greetings Xbhpians.
With all your help and suggestions I am currently a R15 owner(since 2 years) and now looking for an upgrade.
The primary bikes I have in mind are the CBR(Non Abs) and the Dominar.
Regarding other bikes in class :
Mojo : Ruled out since already have one in the household (Bro owns a Mojo , hence need a bike which can keep up )
RE's : Strict No
Yamaha FZ25 : Apprehensive about it. Will talk about it in the end.
Dukes : Didn't like the seating position of older ones.2017 duke 390 is out of budget ,and haven't yet test riden the 250 yet.

Budget : ~2 lacks

Now coming to the point I have a few queries related to CBR (non ABS) vs Dominar . I currently ride a 2015 Yamaha R15 and am looking for an upgrade, CBR was my first choice, it being a Japanese bike, but then came the dominar and brought along all confusion with it.
My requirements from a bike would be 80% city day to day riding in Bangalore city(Bangalore traffic) and 20% touring, with few short distance(300-400Kms)tour and a big(more than 10days) tour annually.
My major concerns with the dominar being the vibrations everyone has been talking about and the fit and finish of the bike, coming from a Yamaha I am afraid that I might regret the dominar because of the vibrations since I absolutely hate any kind of vibrations on a bike.I have ridden the bike and find everything else good braking handling wise and power wise I am all positive about the dominar , but the vibrations is what I want a clarity on.Should I be going with a CBR or a dominar from that perspective? An appeal to existing Dominar owners , wanted to know your opinion on the vibrations part , are they livable with, and do the other good things of dominar supersede the bad part(vibrations)﻿
To all the existing CBR owners , wanted to know about the maintenance cost of the CBR and quality of after sales service of Honda SVC's in bangalore.

Tried to take a test ride of the CBR but its not available.
Tried to take a test ride of the FZ 25 that too is not available.And as pointed out earlier , I am apprehensive about the FZ because of the after sales service(Vinayak Yamaha Bangalore is the nearest showroom and their attitude and quality of service sucks ) and cost of spare parts.One of the major reasons for upgrading from the R15 is due to the cost of ownership associated with it.

Any suggestions and feedback are most welcome.
(CBR owners and Dominar owners please please share your views . And if some one owns both and Is from bangalore ,then I would definitely love to get a DM from you.)

Re: Help in Choosing a New Bike - Dominar Vs CBR250R and suggestions.

Query Approved

You have test ridden the Dominar and found it has more vibes than your R15 and you hate vibes! Then why is the Dominar still on your list? You cannot have everything in one motorcycle.

Low cost of ownership should see Bajaj bikes win the race, KTMs are also not exorbitant to maintain. From a refined engine point of view, the FZ 25 and CBR 250 would both make more sense, ownership costs of the FZ are still unknown, the CBR will be a bit more pricy than Bajaj bikes.

See what's your priority and buy what fits the bill.

Biking is not about what you have between your legs, its all about how well you use it!!!!!!!

Re: Help in Choosing a New Bike - Dominar Vs CBR250R and suggestions.

You have test ridden the Dominar and found it has more vibes than your R15 and you hate vibes! Then why is the Dominar still on your list? You cannot have everything in one motorcycle.

Low cost of ownership should see Bajaj bikes win the race, KTMs are also not exorbitant to maintain. From a refined engine point of view, the FZ 25 and CBR 250 would both make more sense, ownership costs of the FZ are still unknown, the CBR will be a bit more pricy than Bajaj bikes.

See what's your priority and buy what fits the bill.

Thank you Monk for the advice.
The test ride bike provided for Dominar was quite buzzy and when I asked the same to the showroom guys, I was told that since the bike was a test ride unit it has been very harshly ridden and has not even been serviced (the bike had 3476 Kms on its odo).
I agree that I cannot have everything on one bike, but wanted to know from Dominar owners if a new dominar also vibrates like the test ride bike , or proper care and love for the bike keeps it under control?

Re: Help in Choosing a New Bike - Dominar Vs CBR250R and suggestions.

May I ask what does the R15 cost you to maintain? I had heard it was quite reliable.

I own a CBR 250 and it's pretty smooth. I have console vibes after 3 years which I solved by some sponge inserts. Rest, the bike is pretty dull; you can't hear the engine idling in traffic, it's that quiet. Do check out the ownership thread of the CBR250 to find out cost of parts.

Re: Help in Choosing a New Bike - Dominar Vs CBR250R and suggestions.

Originally Posted by Satyajit Samantray

Thank you Monk for the advice.
The test ride bike provided for Dominar was quite buzzy and when I asked the same to the showroom guys, I was told that since the bike was a test ride unit it has been very harshly ridden and has not even been serviced (the bike had 3476 Kms on its odo).
I agree that I cannot have everything on one bike, but wanted to know from Dominar owners if a new dominar also vibrates like the test ride bike , or proper care and love for the bike keeps it under control?

Hi Satyajit,

I own a Dominar ABS since the past month, and to be honest though the bike will go fir its first service tomorrow, the vibes are very much existent and make their present felt in the 4500 to 5500 rpm range quite strongly. I have had the chance to ride the R15 and it was a badly abused 10000 km run test ride bike and I realized how much nicer the engine quality is. I think you will not be able to adjust to the vibrations the Dominar gives. Frank opinion.

Re: Help in Choosing a New Bike - Dominar Vs CBR250R and suggestions.

Its a clash between value for money and premium-ness.
Dominar is the best value for money but will lose out on fit finish and smooth engine. The servicing and spare parts will be cheap and it is the most bike you can get for your money.

The Japs on the other hand... you know all about them. I too own a R15 V2 and I know how you feel riding a Bajaj. It is a difficult decision. Choose wisely.

I would like to thank my legs for supporting me, my arms for being always by my side and my fingers; I could always count on them.

Re: Help in Choosing a New Bike - Dominar Vs CBR250R and suggestions.

Originally Posted by leech

May I ask what does the R15 cost you to maintain? I had heard it was quite reliable.

I own a CBR 250 and it's pretty smooth. I have console vibes after 3 years which I solved by some sponge inserts. Rest, the bike is pretty dull; you can't hear the engine idling in traffic, it's that quiet. Do check out the ownership thread of the CBR250 to find out cost of parts.

The R15 has short service intervals(of 3000kms only) and most of the service cost me north of Rs 3K.Frequent disk pad changes to add to the cost. And I had an issue with the cone set of the bike which had to be replaced. The loss in satisfaction comes from the fact that even after spending all the money , the bike doesn't feel the way it is supposed to do.

You have owned a CBR for 3 years, any major parts that you got replaced on the bike ? I have been reading the ownership thread for CBR and seems that all Japanese spares are expensive.

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Originally Posted by Vikramaditya

Hi Satyajit,

I own a Dominar ABS since the past month, and to be honest though the bike will go fir its first service tomorrow, the vibes are very much existent and make their present felt in the 4500 to 5500 rpm range quite strongly. I have had the chance to ride the R15 and it was a badly abused 10000 km run test ride bike and I realized how much nicer the engine quality is. I think you will not be able to adjust to the vibrations the Dominar gives. Frank opinion.

Thank you for the info Vikramaditya.
I have seen most of the reviews and forums talk about this particular rev range where the dominar vibrates the maximum. During my test ride I never felt any deal breaking vibrations below 4k RMP but beyond that it was frightening. I could not even take it beyond 5K rpm.
Reviews talk about the vibrations ,in the mentioned rpm range, subside after the first service. Could you please let me know of your experience after the service .And also have you taken it beyond 5k RPM , and how is the experience in that range?

Re: Help in Choosing a New Bike - Dominar Vs CBR250R and suggestions.

If you get a lemon, or bad service centre, you will have to spend more ₹₹. I've spent around ₹28k in maintenance for the past 4 years, including small accident repairs and engine oil. To reduce the service bill, I utilise mineral oil which costs ₹310 a litre, I use it for 4k kms interval for the past year and 12k kms.

These costs are for a CBR which uses the cheapest tyres, Contigo, and has no Coneset or shim issues at 38k kms. The chain is OEM. Cam Chain tensioner replaced once.

Re: Help in Choosing a New Bike - Dominar Vs CBR250R and suggestions.

Thank you for the info Vikramaditya.
I have seen most of the reviews and forums talk about this particular rev range where the dominar vibrates the maximum. During my test ride I never felt any deal breaking vibrations below 4k RMP but beyond that it was frightening. I could not even take it beyond 5K rpm.
Reviews talk about the vibrations ,in the mentioned rpm range, subside after the first service. Could you please let me know of your experience after the service .And also have you taken it beyond 5k RPM , and how is the experience in that range?[/QUOTE]

Hi Satyajit,

As luck would have it I just returned after getting my Dominar from the first service. Yes the difference in vibes is immediately apparent as the engine feels at least 50% smoother than it did this morning before going in for the oil change. But I think it will still be disappointing for you for in that particular zone the bike continues to be a bit vibey. I have graduated from a RE to a CBZ (original) to a NS to finally this bike and have never owned a refined Jap, so for me these vibes are not a deal breaker, but I cant say the same for you.

If you cannot get yourself to like the bike even in the short test ride then I guarantee you will not be able to live with it. Again its entirely your choice buddy.

Re: Help in Choosing a New Bike - Dominar Vs CBR250R and suggestions.

Originally Posted by Vikramaditya

Thank you for the info Vikramaditya.
I have seen most of the reviews and forums talk about this particular rev range where the dominar vibrates the maximum. During my test ride I never felt any deal breaking vibrations below 4k RMP but beyond that it was frightening. I could not even take it beyond 5K rpm.
Reviews talk about the vibrations ,in the mentioned rpm range, subside after the first service. Could you please let me know of your experience after the service .And also have you taken it beyond 5k RPM , and how is the experience in that range?

Hi Satyajit,

As luck would have it I just returned after getting my Dominar from the first service. Yes the difference in vibes is immediately apparent as the engine feels at least 50% smoother than it did this morning before going in for the oil change. But I think it will still be disappointing for you for in that particular zone the bike continues to be a bit vibey. I have graduated from a RE to a CBZ (original) to a NS to finally this bike and have never owned a refined Jap, so for me these vibes are not a deal breaker, but I cant say the same for you.

If you cannot get yourself to like the bike even in the short test ride then I guarantee you will not be able to live with it. Again its entirely your choice buddy.[/QUOTE]
Hi Vikramaditya.
Thanks for the feedback
After a lot of contemplation and thinking, I booked a cbr250 repsol edition non abs today.Got a very sweet discount on the bike too.
It was too difficult to not chose the smoothness of the Honda.
I guess once you go Jap , u can't go back... 😆😆😆
Will be posting pics once i get the delivery.

Since '02 xBhp is different things to different people. From a close knit national community of bikers to India's only motorcycling lifestyle magazine and a place to make like minded biker friends. We have one common religion - Bikeism.